“Nothing could be truer,” said Pan-Chao.
“Unfortunately Kinko has fallen into the hands
of the police, and they have taken him to prison,
and it is not easy to get out of a Chinese prison.”

“Let us be off,” I replied, “and
see the company.”

“See here,” said Madame Caterna, “is
there any need of a subscription to defray the cost
of the affair?”

“The proposal does you honor, Caroline,”
said the actor, putting his hand in his pocket.

“Gentlemen,” said pretty Zinca Klork,
her eyes bathed in tears, “do save him before
he is sentenced—­”

“Yes, my darling,” said Madame Caterna,
“yes, my heart, we will save your sweetheart
for you, and if a benefit performance—­”

“Bravo, Caroline, bravo!” exclaimed Caterna,
applauding with the vigor of the sub-chief of the
claque.

We left the young Roumanian to the caresses, as exaggerated
as they were sincere, of the worthy actress.
Madame Caterna would not leave her, declaring that
she looked upon her as her daughter, that she would
protect her like a mother. Then Pan-Chao, Major
Noltitz, Caterna, and I went off to the company’s
offices at the station.

The manager was in his office, and we were admitted.

He was a Chinese in every acceptation of the word,
and capable of every administrative Chinesery—­a
functionary who functioned in a way that would have
moved his colleagues in old Europe to envy.

Pan-Chao told the story, and, as he understood Russian,
the major and I took part in the discussion.

Yes! There was a discussion. This unmistakable
Chinaman did not hesitate to contend that Kinko’s
case was a most serious one. A fraud undertaken
on such conditions, a fraud extending over six thousand
kilometres, a fraud of a thousand francs on the Grand
Transasiatic Company and its agents.

We replied to this Chinesing Chinee that it was all
very true, but that the damage had been inconsiderable,
that if the defrauder had not been in the train he
could not have saved it at the risk of his life, and
at the same time he could not have saved the lives
of the passengers.

Well, would you believe it? This living China
figure gave us to understand that from a certain point
of view it would have been better to regret the deaths
of a hundred victims—­

Yes! We knew that! Perish the colonies and
all the passengers rather than a principle!

In short, we got nothing. Justice must take its
course against the fraudulent Kinko.

We retired while Caterna poured out all the locutions
in his marine and theatrical vocabulary.